Any Oklahoma Sleevers

[Carissajo 0]

Erick ok... Leaving tomorrow for surgery with DR Garcia

[RedDirtRoads 64]

I am considering Dr. Kureshi in Durant, OK. Also, thinking about going to Dr. Castro in Dallas. I have my nutrition consult and psych eval scheduled- just have to decide which surgeon to take the results to . . .

[TRock82 11]

Good morning! I am a newbie sleever who lives in Broken Arrow, OK right outside of Tulsa! Glad to see a local group thread going! I was sleeved on August 4th, 2014 by Dr. Luis Gorospe and am right under 30lb weight loss. I'm feeling great and have had no complications, and would love to get to know some of you VSG'ers in my area to set up an accountability group, go for walks/jogs, trade recipes, Celebrate milestones etc. If anyone is interested, please let me know! I'm a travel nurse but am off until mid September, so right now accountability is key!

[TRock82 11]

Can anyone recommend a plastic surgeon for a Tummy Tuck, breast implants and thigh lift? Mainly a doc that can do a good thigh lift. I lost 80 lbs and had my surgery in Mexico. I live in Tulsa area. Thanks in advance

Try Dr. Greg Ratliff in Tulsa at Plastic Surgery Center of Tulsa. He's awesome! He did my lift and augmentation 2 years ago and has done several of my friends and all have had great results! Best of luck!

[tymellow 13]

Hi everyone, I'm from Lawton, OK. I had my first Dr. Visit on 8/28/14 with Dr. Michael Sawyer with Lawton Bariatrics. Lab work and sleep study completed. Scheduled for an EGD on 9/29/14. I will be having the gastric sleeve surgery providing my EGD shows no complications. I had a pretty major trauma surgery almost three years ago, so my doctor just wanted to see how things are since I had my spleen and 10 feet of intestine removed. I'm super excited to start this journey in getting some degree of my life back. Long story that stems of why I had to have major trauma surgery. Welcome to any and all support and feedback.

[angierue 214]

Hey guys! My name is Angela and I'm in the beginning stages of my sleeve journey. I'm going through Dr Walton at the Weightwise Bariatric Clinic. I've had my initial consult with him, my blood work and my EKG. Currently waiting on my sleep study.

I was 380.5 at my initial weigh in and almost passed out. I knew I was heavier than I've ever been but I had no idea I'd gotten that bad.

So here I am, trying to lose 38lbs as quickly as possible. I work in retail so my busiest time of the year is quicky approaching and I can't take time off after mid-November. I'm trying like crazy to hit that goal by mid-October so I can have the surgery the first week of November. If I don't, I'll have to wait until January. The sooner I can do this, the better.

Skimming through this thread, I see several folks have used the same clinic. Any advice? Concerns? How strict are they with that pre-op? Like, let's say I lost 30 by my goal date, would they go ahead and schedule me?

I've rambled on enough. Lol! Looking forward to getting to know some of you folks and having some online support. :-)

[sleevydreams 48]

Hi everyone. I'm in the research phase I was looking into going to Mexico but now that I've read all of the posts here I'm really considering weight wise. I live in Southeast oklahoma & would love to not have to travel to Mexico if at all possible. Obviously finding a good surgeon is the most important but cost is definitely a close second for me. My question for you all is, I have BCBS of OK. Anyone else here have them? Do they cover any part of this process? If so, could you give me just a ballpark estimate of what to expect out of pocket? Thanks in advance. It's so exciting to read everyone's stories. Good luck to all of you no matter what stage you're in.

[angierue 214]

Hi everyone. I'm in the research phase I was looking into going to Mexico but now that I've read all of the posts here I'm really considering weight wise. I live in Southeast oklahoma & would love to not have to travel to Mexico if at all possible. Obviously finding a good surgeon is the most important but cost is definitely a close second for me. My question for you all is, I have BCBS of OK. Anyone else here have them? Do they cover any part of this process? If so, could you give me just a ballpark estimate of what to expect out of pocket? Thanks in advance. It's so exciting to read everyone's stories. Good luck to all of you no matter what stage you're in.

I have BC/BS and it first depends on if your particular plan has the bariatric benefit. Mine does and didn't require any special waiting period.

However, it's out of network with the Weight Wise clinic so even though they'll file, you do have to pay the surgeon fees upfront. For the sleeve, that's $3700. Then whatever else your regular medical deducible is (mine is $1000) plus your cost for for the hospital fees (mine is 20%).

Plus side is, they will still file with BC/BS and whatever they pay of the surgeon fees, you keep. When I went to anthem's website and priced the procedure, it told me my cost would be around $2700.

I've secured $5000 in financing for the upfront just to make sure I'm good when payment is due. Then whatever I get back, I'll apply directly to that loan.

I've heard great things about both doctors but I chose Dr Walton because he was the one that did the seminar I attended. Something about him I just really liked.

Hopefully that helps! My biggest piece of advice is find out if your group plan has the bariatric benefit.

[sleevydreams 48]

Thank you. That definitely gives me an idea of what to expect & where to start. Good luck to you in this journey!

[angierue 214]

Good luck to you as well!

I'll be honest, the thought of going all the way to Mexico to have this done and not being near my surgeon afterward scares the crap out of me. His cash pay price is under $10,000 for the sleeve so even with the reduced cost for the procedure in Mexico, after you add in airfare or gas/rental car to drive for yourself, not to mention if you're taking a family member or friend too... Just seems like it would cost nearly as much in the end.

The big thing that sold me on this clinic is how much importance they put on follow up and their support groups. You get a year of post op visits with your total cost and they have a $300 package they require (insurance will not cover that) that has 2 years of monthly nutrition and fitness counseling. You can tell they care about your success.

[sleevydreams 48]

Good luck to you as well!

I'll be honest, the thought of going all the way to Mexico to have this done and not being near my surgeon afterward scares the crap out of me. His cash pay price is under $10,000 for the sleeve so even with the reduced cost for the procedure in Mexico, after you add in airfare or gas/rental car to drive for yourself, not to mention if you're taking a family member or friend too... Just seems like it would cost nearly as much in the end.

The big thing that sold me on this clinic is how much importance they put on follow up and their support groups. You get a year of post op visits with your total cost and they have a $300 package they require (insurance will not cover that) that has 2 years of monthly nutrition and fitness counseling. You can tell they care about your success.

You're so right about the anxiety of going to Mexico, I've thought a lot about that. But, I live in a fairly small community & there have been several women from around here that have went to one particular Dr. & have had great success & rave about what great care they received. They had a seminar here back in June but I was unable to go. They're having another one next Saturday in a town about 45 min from where I live so I'm going to it for sure. I really wish I could afford to go to weight wise, but I found my benefits book for bcbs & it specifically states that it excludes ALL weight loss treatment including for the morbidly obese, and also excludes any care after any weight loss treatments. I plan to keep researching though & looking into ways to pay no matter where I go.

[RedDirtRoads 64]

Sleevydreams, I love your screen name. I have BCBS of OK, my plan does cover bariatric surgery and I am going to Dr. Kureshi at MCSO in Durant. Dr. Kureshi has been doing WLS at TMC in Denison and is now coming to Oklahoma one day a week. We have met our family deductible so insurance will cover 90% of the cost. My surgeon says that our portion of his fee will be 298.00. Getting someone to tell us the hospital fee is a different story. But insurance did tell us that if we could meet our "out of pocket cost" then they will cover 100%. *Edited to add- I just saw your post that you insurance does not cover WLS. Sorry.

Hi everyone. I'm in the research phase I was looking into going to Mexico but now that I've read all of the posts here I'm really considering weight wise. I live in Southeast oklahoma & would love to not have to travel to Mexico if at all possible. Obviously finding a good surgeon is the most important but cost is definitely a close second for me. My question for you all is, I have BCBS of OK. Anyone else here have them? Do they cover any part of this process? If so, could you give me just a ballpark estimate of what to expect out of pocket? Thanks in advance. It's so exciting to read everyone's stories. Good luck to all of you no matter what stage you're in.

Edited September 8, 2014 by RedDirtRoads

[sleevydreams 48]

RedDirtRoads I love your screen name too. yeah, unfortunately I found my "certificate of benefits" book & it clearly says they will not pay anything for weight loss including medications, any kind of treatments, nothing. I expected it but it's still a bummer seeing it in writing under their list of exclusions. I will still do this, the road is probably just a little longer & uncertain as to where it ends up. Good luck to you though & keep us updated on how it goes for you.

[Onephatmom 19]

I have my last dr/nut appt 10/9 and then I start the ins wait. Hoping it all goes smoothly.

[tymellow 13]

The next couple of weeks will busy for me, but yet the antcipation of getting everything acomplished and all pre-op requirements completed. My psych eval and nutrition class are next week and my EGD is on the 29th. Still doing Water phsyical therapy with hopes of being more mobile by the end of the month. so excited to be on this journey!